Excavation of a Plaza Platform at Group A of the Medicinal Trail Community: A Hinterland Maya Site in Northwestern Belize

Summary

Previous excavations at Group A of the Medicinal Trail Community indicated a long occupation of the area, possibly dating back to the Middle Preclassic. In an effort to identify the earliest occupational phase at the group, we excavated the Middle Courtyard plaza platform of Group A to a depth of just over two meters below surface. Results of the 2016 field season brought greater understanding of the extensive amount of energy expended in building from the original foundation of the structures to what is visible on the surface today at this hinterland site. This poster presents a discussion of the 2016 excavations which included the exposure of eight floors and at least as many construction phases, revealing a shift in structure alignment and construction techniques through time. While the season only allowed for exposure down to Late Preclassic features, there is great promise that Middle Preclassic features at the site will be present below this phase of construction and revealed next season.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Ongoing Research in the Three Rivers Area of the Southern Maya Lowlands

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15421